3 Easy ‘Micro-Retreats’ to Help You Pause & Reconnect With Yourself

Age 15 was the first time I had ever experienced total, self-directed, intentional solitude. It happened during the “solo” portion of an Outward Bound course I completed on Table Rock Mountain in Asheville, North Carolina. With only a backpack containing water, a map and a compass, I was able to get to know myself better. I listened more and watched more closely — to both my external surroundings, as well as to my internal geography. Self-indulgence was mys for the taking. For example, the pattern of the splotchy birthmark on my ankle; the details of rhododendron leaves; or my extended daydreams, which I’m sure culminated in slightly dramatic teenage angst-ridden journal entries about Life (capital “L” intended), hopes, fears and dreams. I was hooked by the 24-hour solo.

The delight that I could conquer my fears about being with myself (Wouldn’t I get bored? No!) These were life-sustaining.

SheKnows has more

It was also helpful that I had been attending Quaker high schools in Philadelphia since the 7th grade.^Th grade. The required weekly Meeting for Worship sessions were another touchpoint that acquainted me to turn within through silence — albeit in a communal meetinghouse space.

It’s important to spend time with yourself and explore your internal landscape. As a result, you recharge and attune to the more subtle bits of yourself. You run the risk for burnout, nihilism, or pessimism if you don’t take pauses. But With those pauses you’ll return to your family and work in a more aware and motivated state.

Click here to read the full article.

I often remind my clients that it’s really hard to wonder when you are going 80 miles an hour. Wonder is an essential component of creativity. And our professional mission to “innovate!” is fully dependent on our creative capacity. To increase our creativity, we must slow down and pause. This will allow us to develop deepened curiosity, awe and blue-sky thinking (wonder), as well as discipline (rigor).

These solitude moments are now a regular part of my daily schedule.

They are called micro-retreats.

But I didn’t always do this.

I would try to find some solitude on longer vacations or work trips.

Holly Carter, my friend, encouraged me to be more deliberate about scheduling pauses or solitude. Holly Carter learned from the Dalai Lama how humans should seek solitude to grow spiritually. It was hard for her to find the time to devote herself to spiritual growth when she was a new mother with two toddlers living in New York City. She realized that booking a night in a hotel would only be one small step. Then she could take a taxi to the hotel, order room service, then return home. It worked miracles. Holly’s advice to me was Not Not to wait until I was able to escape for a week, but to plan my escapes at regular intervals: an afternoon here, 24 hours there, and two days in the quarter.

If micro-retreating sounds like a privileged event- you’re correct. It is. It is not self-deprecating as you might think. These privileges are essential to our productivity and health.

These are just three of the ways that you can incorporate micro-retreats into both your personal and professional life.

A Noticing Retreat

Block out one morning/afternoon next month on your calendar where you will visit a different neighborhood in your city or town, walk around, sit in a café and read non-work-related stuff. Enjoy being a stranger and relish what’s suddenly novel.

A Walking Retreat

A weekly walk can be scheduled, whether in the woods or on city streets. These walks can be as short as five minutes or as long as an hour. Like the Noticing retreat, the goal is to be an Anthropologist. This means that you just have to pay attention to shapes, sounds, lights, feelings, thoughts, and other information.

A Quarterly Reflection Retreat

Don’t worry about retreating to some exotic locale in order to experience a micro-retreat on a regular basis. Book one to two nights at a hotel in your local area or town. It can be a luxurious splurge or affordable — totally up to you. The important thing is to enjoy a different environment. You should bring a notebook and some prompts. For example, I’ve booked a one-night stay at an aka hotel on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia for next week. What are two of my reflection prompts

1) Create a list of 50 questions for yourself (just the questions — not the answers!)

2) Make a list with 50 gratitude statements.

If you commit to these regular pauses, you’ll not only be doing yourself a favor, you’re paying it forward to your colleagues, your clients, your spouse and your children.

You’re welcome!

Natalie Nixon, PhD is an international creativity strategist. keynote speakerThe award-winning book was written by. The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation and Intuition at Work, and the CEO Figure 8 Thinking.

For extra care for your brain, make sure you check out our favorite mental health apps before you go.

Best of SheKnows

Register for SheKnows’ Newsletter.
Follow us for the most recent news Facebook, TwitterAnd Instagram.